After a lot of outcry in the DTH and the broadcasting industry, the subscribers of cable TV and DTH services could finally hear some good news. After the implementation of the new tariff regime which was introduced by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the subscribers witnessed a rise in their cable and DTH bills. This was because there was a brand new pricing pattern in place which was constituted by the Network Capacity Fees (NCF) and additional content charges for the pay channels that the users subscribe to. However, now for a few months, the subscribers have been persisting with the increased rates, whereas some of the subscribers in the DTH industry have altogether given up on their connections. But, there is good news in the form of reduction of channel prices. Now in a new update, one of the major DTH operators has brought the price change for the subscribers.
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Tata Sky Subscribers Will Noe Enjoy More Affordable SD Channels
The DTH operator in talk here is the largest DTH operator of the country right now, Tata Sky. The last week in the DTH and the cable TV industry has all been about the reduction of the channel prices and various broadcasters have come forward revealing their new channel prices for some of the most popular channels out there. But, the subscribers were questioning about when this new reduced pricing would go into effect and it seems that the customers would not really have to wait that much as Tata Sky has already implemented this new pricing. The users of Tata Sky, if they go through the channel selection process again, will be able to see the new pricing of the select channels which has been reduced.
Now it is worth noting that the pricing of the channels which has been brought down from the previous Rs 19 per month charge down to the Rs 12 per month charge are all SD channels. The pricing of the HD channels remains the same for now. But, even then, the subscribers will get to enjoy these channels at reduced prices. For example, if the subscribers are currently opting for even 4 of these channels, then their monthly DTH bill is going to come down by Rs 28, which is a good reduction. As part of this price cut, major broadcasters and their channels which include Star Plus from Star India, Colors and Colors Kannada from Viacom18, many channels from Zee Entertainment and Sony Pictures Networks India channels have been brought down to the Rs 12 per month pricing.
Reason Behind New Price Cut of Channels
The new pricing change comes right before the speculated move from Trai which has been expected to bring a discount cap on the channel packs and bouquets. Since the implementation of the new Trai tariff regime, the industry regulator has been against the rampant discounting of the channel packs, which drives subscribers towards these bouquets, instead of the a-la-carte channels. Now, if the new rule goes into effect, then it would mean that the a-la-carte pricing of any channel would not be allowed to be more than the 15% of what the price of the channel is in the channel pack. This means that if a channel is priced at Rs 6 in the bouquet, then its a-la-carte pricing would not be more than Rs 6.9. This would make many of the channels, much cheaper for the subscribers and could further bring down cable TV and DTH bills.
